- Stop serving drinks in disposable containers.
- Give high quality resuable mugs away to any customer who needs one.
- Accept returns of the free containers to be washed and given away free again.
- Reap the rewards of being the first company to really put their money where our Earth is.
Let's think it through:Point 1 is an obvious and total win, and leads directly to Point 4. Straight forward enough. So this means that if you want Starbucks you HAVE to use a reusable container.
That leads to the first challenge: What if you do not have a reusable container at the time of purchase? Point 2, it will be provided. This is a potentially nontrivial cost to the company but with the item unabashedly and unalterably branded, the proliferation of these containers would be a serious promotional tool and loyalty driver.
Challenge 2. What if people just want to toss it and we end up with a lot of energy-intensive-to-produce-containers in the land fill? The high-quality of the item coupled with Point 3 [Note: a deposit, like beer and soda bottles, might be necessary here as well] would make this prospect seem unlikely. People do not typically throw away something that is, well, not "throw-away".
It's all about positioning this item as their new reusable cup. "This is our gift to you for helping us be tree free" "Starbucks Thanks you; the planet thanks you" Designs by local artists and a sexy design of the cup will help to keep it in one's bag or by one's desk.
Tree free, baby!
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Orwellian
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idnapper idea owner
Making Collectibles by city or by art is a really nice addition to the concept.
I was hoping to avoid a deposit (penalties are a put off no matter how noble the purpose and end result) but it may need to be something like 50 cents to ensure that the cups come back to the shop. At the very least, we would have the usual army of bottle collectors, with shopping carts full of returns, to help bring the cups back.
But the quality has to be fairly high - I don't think cheap plastic is something that would be in line with the brand. Plastic cups cost fractions of a cent to make, so I think we can go up to something that resembles the Starbucks travel mug in design but is simpler and not stainless? aluminum or...?
Thanks again
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PureEm
Currently, the Starbucks Card system uses a 3 tier system, with the top tier being for those who make over 30 visits per year. I suggest rolling out the system to those in the top rank initially, with a gradual roll out to all other card members afterwards.
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idnapper idea owner
Phased in is a good idea. It is probably an easy sell to very regular customers.
It's the non-regulars that are more likely to reach for a disposable, I think, so eliminating the option across the board would have the greatest potential impact both environmentally and on PR/Brand equity.
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jblevinson
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idnapper idea owner
I think your point is valid from one point of view but I disagree and here is why:
While we do live in a throw away culture, we also live in a hoarding culture. I have seen people keep those silly olympics cups from fast food joints and all kinds of swag baubles from trade shows. I think it is really about how it is pitched. Imagine every cup comes with a card that talks about how much good it will do for the environment to reuse this cup. "This is our gift to you for helping us be tree free."
Also think about the blue box phenomenon - many blue boxes are available completely free from the municipality. Think about a present from a friend. I don't think people are more apt to abuse some thing just because it is free.
It would definitely require real world testing to see which of us is correct or to what degree. I have no doubt that some will be discarded but with a small cash back upon returning a cup and leaving it in the store (not a deposit - at least I am hoping to avoid that penalty model) it may be that enough comeback to make ROI sense.
But to that point, ROI needs to include the bottom line for the planet not just a simple money equation - Starbucks would get a lot of kudos and loyalty for putting some cash profit aside for the sake of the future.
Also this would amount to serious carbon offsetting they might even become a carbon neutral organization.
Worth a try.
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jamesh
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idnapper idea owner
I think we spend too much time trying to pander to the worst in our natures (sloth, gluttony, wastefulness, etc) this is why we are unable to make significant change in the world.
If you look at the stats, all the incrementalism that is so espoused is getting us nowhere. In fact, there is a subtle detriment to any movement to improve things because people THINK we are already doing what we can and any more radical shift is seen as unrealistic.
If I can be behind this anyone can. Even you.
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Janne
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idnapper idea owner
Do you mean that returned cups would only credit to cards? I think we might have a number of cups that are returned by street folk returning them so... Maybe I am not understanding the your suggestion.
Thanks very much for looking at my concept and for the positive feedback.